Many LPGA players scale back or step away from professional golf after having children. Some do that to focus on family, while others do so because the grind of travel, sleep loss, and limited practice makes a return feel impossible. Alison Lee, however, is doing the opposite and is pulling that off quite successfully. She didn’t just return from maternity leave; she came back with a clear mission in mind.
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The American professional wanted to earn a spot on the 2026 U.S. Solheim Cup team on her own merits. She did it, but the route was anything but simple. She was struggling with postpartum stress. As both teams prepare for the biennial event next week, Lee has now revealed her current condition.
“I’m at a point now, where I weigh less than pre-pregnancy,” Alison Lee told Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek. “I’m not eating enough, which is why I decided to take [FM Championship] off so I can just get a little bit of a break.”
Her pregnancy started in 2024. In fact, she was eight weeks pregnant while playing in the 2024 Solheim Cup. However, only a few, including Captain Stacy Lewis, four‑ball partner Megan Khang, and her caddie, knew about it. She had not shared the news even with her parents back then.
In April 2025, she gave birth to her son, Levi. She then made a comeback in mid-April 2026, a month earlier than she had planned, to increase her chances of making the Solheim Cup. She didn’t want to rely on captain’s picks and wanted to get into the team through automatic qualifiers.
Despite fatigue, she posted T3 at Mizuho (Mother’s Day), led after 36 holes at the U.S. Women’s Open, and tied for 5th at the KPMG Women’s PGA this year. That helped her move into the final automatic Solheim spot via the Rolex Rankings.
She has now become the first mom to play in the Solheim Cup since Suzann Pettersen in 2019. On the US side, Cristie Kerr was the last to play in the 2017 edition. But Kerr was picked by the captain. The last US mom to auto-qualify was Juli Inkster back in 2011. Stacy Lewis was a mom on the 2019 roster but withdrew before play because of injury. This shows how rare it is to see a mom be part of the team event.
Therefore, she is proud of herself for making a good comeback.
“I feel like I have a big weight lifted off my shoulders,” she told Nichols.
Even if she had not auto-qualified, US team captain Angela Stanford would have picked her for many reasons. One of them is certainly her good form, but there are others, too. For instance, she is the only American team member to have been part of the Solheim Cup team that won in Europe in 2015.
Another thing that sets Lee apart is her experience in the biennial event. This will be her third appearance in the Solheim Cup. She played in 2015 and 2024 and has a record of 2 wins, 5 losses, and 0 ties. In 2024, she went 2‑0 in four‑balls with Rose Zhang.
Stanford has publicly called Lee’s comeback “a pleasant surprise.” She praised her for backing up her desire to qualify with results rather than picks.
But praises aside, the question is whether she can compete at such a high level with the postpartum stress. She herself admitted to eating less and feeling fatigued. She has also changed her putter before making a comeback this year. The 31-year-old initially called the broomstick putter terrible. All these can collectively put a lot of pressure on the only mom on both sides.
There are a few factors that back her, though. Being able to make the team automatically despite starting late says a lot about her form. Apart from form, she also has experience. As noted above, she was part of the team that staged a comeback on Sunday afternoon in 2015 to win the Solheim Cup in Europe. Apart from that, she has also requested a room closer to the hotel the team is staying in so her parents can take care of Levi. This means that she could focus more on the game.
Alison Lee’s experience in the Solheim Cup could give her an edge as she takes on the added challenge of competing while managing postpartum fatigue. With the support she has, she will now look to prove that her remarkable comeback can carry her through another demanding week.